Lumber-drier



(No Model.)

W. MOPHERSON;

LUMBER. DRIER.

No. 429,473. Patented June 3, 1890;

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

WALLACE MOPHERSON, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

LUMBER-DRIER.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,473, dated June 3, 1890.

Application filed llllarcl1'13 1890. Serial No. 343,815. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

. .Be it known that I, WALLACE MOPI-IERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lumber-Briers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanyingdrawings. This invention has relation to lumber and other driers, and the objects are to provide the furnace with a series of smoke-chambers and a series of zigzag horizontal passages and radiating-plates and vapor-producing troughs, as will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a drier constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken through the furnace and the spark-arresting chambers. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section of the same on line 00 a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal vertical section of the same. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of one of the furnaces and its lateral spark-arresting chambers.

' one of the furnaces and a portion of the central flue in the rear thereof.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The drier comprises in this instance seven furnaces on one side, each furnace having a central smoke-chamber and three wings 1, each of which is similar in construction and inclosed by an outer wall of masonry 2, and in plan each wing is of rectangular shape. The side wings are separated by a central smoke-chamber 3, which is separated from the furnace 9 by a pendent partition 23, and at the rear end of the smoke'chamber there is located the third wing. The arched furnace 9 projects about two-thirds of its length from the walls 2 4 of the drier. The smokechamber is formed by inclosing-walls 4, which are surmounted by an arched roof 5 of refractory material. The walls4are perforated or provided with a series of openings 6, near their upper ends, at close intervals throughout the length of the same. The wings 2 are each subdivided longitudinally by a wall '7,

which is provided with a series of openings 8 near its lower end or bottom.

9 represents the furnace, the side walls of which are connected together by an arch 10 of refractory material. Said arch comprises three sections or layers 11, the two upper sections being close together, and between them and the lower section there is an arched passage 12, which admits the outer atmosphere at its front end, heats and conducts it into the interior of the drier at its rear end, so loss of heat by radiation from the inner arch to the outer one and thence to the outer air is obviated, and any heat passing through the lower of the sections 11 acts to heat the draft of air induced through the passage 12 into the drier, where it commingles with products therein from the furnaces. This space or draft-inducing opening 12 always remains open, and therefore, even though the drafts or dampers of the furnaces be closed, the passage of any radiated heat back into the drier still goes on.

The outer sides of the walls 4 are recessed near their upper ends, as at 13, as are also the inner faces or sides of the main wall 2, and the intermediate walls 7 in each wing terminating at its upper end slightly above the bottoms of said recesses, and upon the same is supported transverse series of parallel radiating-plates 1.4, each of the series comprising in this instance three of such plates and spaced apart at suitable intervals by space-blocks 15, set into the recesses 13 of the walls 2 and 4.

The radiating-plates comprising each series are of the same width, but the central plate is projected at one side slightly beyond the edges of the upper and lower plates of the same series, as clearly shown in Fig. 7. By this arrangement a space or opening 16 is formed at the outer edge of each of the series, and at the inner edge a similar opening 16 is formed at the edge of the central plate.

Upon each of the refractory series of radiating-plates, and in this instance near the surrounding wall 2, there is located a longitudinal trough 17, with which communicates a supply-pipe 18, leading from a tank 19 outside of the drier, or from any suitable source of supply. Said troughs are also provided with a suitable overflow-pipe 20, the system of supply and overflow pipes being at a suitable point and by means preferably located within the masonry.

The outer wall 2, opposite each of the water-tanks 17, is provided with horizontal overhanging plates 21, the edges of which are preferably downwardly turned, as at 22, (see Figs. 3 and 7,) and terminate directly over the tanks, but the deflecting-edge may be dispensed with and the troughs still retained under the plates 21.

From the above description the operation of my invention will be understood by those skilled in the treatment of lumber, and may be stated as follows: As before stated, the entire products of combustion pass from the numerous furnaces into the main smokechamber 3 of each furnace, from which the sparks, flame, and the smoke is divided equally between the three wings 1 by passing through the upper series of openings 6 in the walls 4; thence, instead of permitting the same to come into close contact with the radiating-plates, which would have a tendency to effect an early burning out of the same, said products are carried down and away from the plates and through the lower series of openings 8 in the walls 7, and thence through the openings 16 into the space between the lower and central one of the radiating-plates, through the opening 15 at the end of the central plate, back again between it and the upper plate, and out through the upper opening 15 at the outer edges of the upper plate, and thus follow a long horizontal zigzag path, whence they come in contact with the deflectors 21, and are directed by them against the water in the troughs and carry the vapors therefrom. It is calculated that during this tortuous horizontal passage of the products all flame or sparks will be destroyed; but should any escape, the same will be destroyed by the vapor arising from the trough, and not be permitted to pass into the drier among the lumber. The heat radiated from the plates will have a tendency to evaporate the water within the troughs, which tendency will be increased by the directing of the products by the deflectors against the body of water within the tank, so that a moist heat is imparted to the lumber in lieu of the objectionable dry heat. The evaporation which takes place in the tanks is compensated for by the flow of water continually passing from the supply-tank therein, and any oversupply is carried off by the overflow-pipe 20. Although the radiatingplates 14: and the passage between them have been shown horizontal, they may be slightly arched or with an apex on highest point over the intermediate walls 7 without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim, is-- 1. In a drier, the combination of a furnace having a pendent partition in the rear end,

with an internal smoke-chamber the walls of with a smoke'chamber and a side chamber,

the walls of the smoke-chamber having a series of openings near their upper ends, a longitudinal wall subdividing the side chamber and having openings near its bottom, and a series of spaced-apart radiating-plates arranged upon the dividing-wall and forming horizontal passages communicating with their intermediate spaces at alternate edges of said plates, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, in a drier, of a furnace, a smoke-chamber having perforated walls, a series of spaced-apart radiatin g-plates forming intermediate passages and communicating with each other at alternate ends, a watentrough mounted upon the upper plate of said series and having surface contact therewith, and a deflector arranged above the trough, substantially as specified.

at. In a drier, the combination of a furnace, smoke-chamber having the walls 4, 7, and 2, the wall 4 being perforated at its top and the wall 7 at its bottom, and the two walls 2 and a being provided with opposite longitudinal recesses 13 in a plane slightly below the upper end of the wall 7, with a series of heatradiating plates and space-blocks for the same, each one of said plates being perforated at alternate ends, substantially as specified.

5. In a drier, the combination of the series of furnaces having arched draftopenings com mumcating with the interior'of the drier,

the smoke-chamber in rear of and communi- In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WALLACE MOPHERSON.

'Witnesses:

C. H. GIRARDENA, J. C. HENDRIX. 

